From Harvey Weinstein, an American film producer, to Ed Westwick, who is well known for his role in "Gossip Girl" as Chuck Bass, victims have been coming forward about unwanted sexual advances from perpetrators.

The phrase #MeToo was introduced in the early 2000s by Tarana Burke in order to create a safe haven for women of minorities from low-income communities. It has gained a lot of followers since early October, and since then, the hashtag became a trend to express that some women have had some sort of negative experience with men because of sexual misconduct.

Alyssa Milano suggested the use of the hashtag, and as a result, thousands of women who had been assaulted or harassed immediately responded with their own stories. Whether it was because they did not feel comfortable in telling their story, or were forced to remain silent by those around them, this hashtag has provided people with a safe haven to speak up and say that they have been harassed or assaulted.

While the majority of the individuals using the #MeToo to relay their experience are women, I believe this hashtag should be used by men.

I know that the hashtag is a wake-up call for society and how prevalent rape culture is, especially when it comes towards women, but sexual harassment can be done to men—and children—as well.

Within our society, it is more common for women to make claims about sexual misconduct from their peers, but men are rarely—if ever—seen to come forward with their own stories. Yes, the hashtag has been used by countless women, but it should also be used by men. The number of women who have stepped forward has left people in shock, but our society needs to understand that males can also be victims.

Take "Stranger Things" star, Finn Wolfhard for example: just recently, 27-year-old Ali Michael, an American model, posted a picture of Wolfhard on Instagram with the caption, “not to be weird, but hit me up in four years.”

Fans of Wolfhard called her out not only on her sexualization of a 14-year-old boy but about how predatory it was. While she made a public apology stating that she did not mean for it to come out inappropriately, the comment should not have been made in the first place. While this example may seem insignificant to some, sexual misconduct towards males exists and should be acknowledged—no matter how big or small it may be.

I have an unquantifiable amount of respect for the individuals who have come forward with their stories. I believe they are the first step in bringing peace and to show that there is hope to those who were not able come forward, for those who continue to be silent, and for those who believe they are at fault.

The shame should not lie with the victim; the victim was the one taken advantage of. No victim, whether they be male or female, has ever “asked for it,” and to those who challenge this statement, I urge you to look at #MeToo, the stories that have been shared by men and women, and the movement surrounding it.

Countless women have been raped and sexually assaulted not just as adults, but also as children. Assaulted by those close them, by their families and friends, and then made to live their lives in shame and fear that people will vilify them for the attack.

How can one tell a 12-year-old child wearing pajamas they asked for it? How can one tell the 7-year-old girl going to tutoring that she deserved it? It is the experience that shows how victim blaming has gone to ruin and portray victims in a negative light that chooses to persecute victims of abuse rather than help them. Unfortunately, these victims were unable to save themselves in their situation, but this does not mean that every scene must play out this way.

Take this example given by Heather Morse in her post #MeToo - My Story. When she was in college, she had a professor that took a particular interest in her. She states that it started off with conversations after class which turned into conversations in his office.

Now, having conversations with your professors is seemingly harmless. I’ve gone to my professor's office hours to talk about the material and then the conversation has gone off on a tangent to talk about your personal life. The issue here is what she describes after. Morse writes in her post that he would present her with gifts and would take her to dinner.

I am not invalidating her experience, but how do these actions not raise any red flags?

I understand that she was going through a rough time and that her professor provided a place for her to escape reality, but how did his actions not raise concerns? The whole situation could have been avoided if she said no to dinner and did not accept the gifts.

While I believe that those guilty of the accusations should face the consequences of their actions, I do have some issues with this new movement. I am all for calling out those who took advantage of individuals, but the question is how far is too far? When is the line crossed for saying someone harassed you?

For example, in Mary Wakefield’s article, "The Iciness At The Heart of The #MeToo Movement," she provides an anecdote. Wakefield states that while helping at a West London center, an older man that she met several times showed one of her co-workers drawings he completed. These drawings were of naked cartoon ladies; she says that he has worked on these drawings for a while and that they were not bad.

However, the co-worker thought otherwise; the co-worker felt offended by his attempt to gain new audience and immediately went to report “sexual assault." Wakefield states that she tried to explain to her co-worker that “He’s harmless, just senile.” But the co-worker did not accept that, saying that “Senility is no excuse for assault.”

This #MeToo example crosses the line in that the older man did not mean to offend the worker; rather, he just wanted to show how proud he was of his work. The cartoon ladies he carries on the notepad around his neck were not meant to cause a case of “harassment.” It was simply him providing himself with an activity while at the day center. It crosses the line as the so-called perpetrator is an older man in a day center. A day center, a place for older people, a place where many of the clients do not have all of their marbles in order.

This abuse of the hashtag is, as Wakefield says, no longer an ethical issue, but a political one.

Understand that many say the movement is important and will teach men, or those who blame the events on the victim, a lesson. But is it really a movement to campaign when you have people making claims that people who are elderly, learning disabled, or mentally ill are making inappropriate passes at them? Making claims that these people are sexually assaulting or harassing you is no longer right.

In addition, I don’t see the hashtag as a movement. While the recent discussion about sexual misconduct has shone a light on the issue and rape culture in general, and #MeToo has prompted a turning point in the way people talk about and react towards sexual misconduct, it is simply a trend that will die off eventually.

Yes, #MeToo has created a space in the media for victims to tell their stories and feel empowered, but it does not erase the event from their life. For some victims, the hashtag is a reminder of what happened and can cause even more distress; all the suffering floods back in and they have to take a moment to fix themselves again. So, while I admire those who took a stand and told their story because of the hashtag, not everyone is able to do it, whether because they do not feel comfortable or because it is a trigger.

Furthermore, many of the women who did speak out most likely debated whether or not they should post their experience. If it were not for the hashtag, many of these victims probably would not have felt compelled to post their story to social media for the whole world to see. It was because of the trend of people telling their story that the hashtag grew and gained an audience.

The hashtag has gained so much attention that people are using it to make profits. The New York Post published an article naming various products for #MeToo. From necklaces and sweatshirts (with the description, “Going to classes, running errands or just hanging out and watching Netflix. Just be you”) on Etsy, to a $44 necklace from Adornia, retailers are trying to make money.

I understand that such products are seen in different movements, but with this specific movement, why not let it just be a hashtag? The various products take away from the message that sexual misconduct is abominable behavior. It churns out the idea that everything can be made into a profit for others.

Again, I have so much respect and admiration towards those who told their story through #MeToo, and I sympathize with each and every one of you. However, the hashtag is just a hashtag and will fade away just like every other trend. In order to create real change, society must come together to understand and teach others that any sort of sexual misconduct is immoral and will not be tolerated.